SAMHSA

At Synergy Group Services we would like to show our support for National Recovery Month. Over the last 27 years, September has been a time for raising awareness about addiction recovery. The disease of addiction is a mental health disorder which affects millions of people around the globe. Left untreated, the condition can both ruin and cut lives short. Fortunately, there are services available to help those afflicted by the insidious disease, today more than ever.

Addiction counselors have the skills and tools to effectively treat addiction, and show people how to live a life free from drugs and alcohol. The use of medication and cognitive behavioral therapies in sheltered environments can help people break the cycle of addiction and live productive, fulfilling lives. It is paramount that everyone who is need of treatment, can access it.

Making the decision to seek treatment is not always easy. Even when people are in the grips of despair, it can be hard for many to acknowledge that they have a problem and surrender. Encouraging the millions of Americans who are still active in their addiction to enter treatment is one of the goals of National Recovery Month. This year, people in recovery and their families are invited to share their story of hope online. By doing so, you may help some make the decision to seek recovery, potentially saving a life—or many lives for that matter.

Sadly, many Americans living in addiction believe that they are beyond help, that they will die with a bottle or drug in their hand. Despair begets despair, and the cycle of addiction continues. Sharing about your own experience with addiction, how bad it was and how good life is now, could be a catalyst for countless individuals to seek change. In the midst of an unprecedented epidemic involving opioid narcotics, everyone in recovery can have a hand in stemming the tide.

The National Recovery Month theme this year is: Join The Voices for Recovery: Our Families, Our Stories, Our Recovery. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) states that:

“Across the country, people in recovery are celebrating their successes and sharing them with others in an effort to educate the public about treatment, how it works, for whom, and why. Because these successes often go unnoticed by the broader population, these personal stories, or Voices for Recovery, provide a vehicle for people to share their recovery stories.”

Recovering from addiction is no small feat, it requires determination and perseverance. Learning how to live a life free from drugs and alcohol cannot be done alone, and for 80 years members of 12-step programs have helped each other recover from the debilitating disease of addiction. September is a special time of year for people in recovery, being National Recovery Month.

All month long events are being held across the country with the collective goal of breaking the stigma of addiction and mental health disorders. September is also a time to celebrate everyone who is actively working a program of recovery and the countless people who work tirelessly in the field of addiction and mental health services.

National Recovery Month events are open to the public. They are good opportunity for people, without substance use disorders and people who have loved ones active in their addiction, to learn about the disease and how they can assist people to find recovery. The nation is currently in the grips of a tragic opioid epidemic, with addicts needlessly losing their life to overdoses every day. Opening up the dialogue about addiction can go a long way in the fight against this epidemic, changing how the general public looks at addiction will result in more people seeking help for their problem – saving lives.

We encourage everyone in recovery to attend National Recovery Month events. Recovery is worth celebrating, and your success is a living testament that: “We Can, and Do Recover”. On Monday, the President made a Proclamation showing his support for National Recovery Month and commending everyone in recovery. Please take a moment to read the Proclamation.

NATIONAL ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDICTION RECOVERY MONTH, 2015

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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Every day, resilient Americans with substance use disorders summon extraordinary courage and strength and commit to living healthy and productive lives through recovery. From big cities to small towns to Indian Country, substance use disorders affect the lives of millions of Americans. This month, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to all those who are seeking or in need of treatment, and we recognize the key role families, friends, and health care providers play in supporting those on the path to a better tomorrow.

This year’s theme is “Join the Voices for Recovery: Visible, Vocal, Valuable!” It encourages us all to do our part to eliminate negative public attitudes associated with substance use disorders and treatment. People in recovery are part of our communities — they are our family and friends, colleagues and neighbors — and by supporting them and raising awareness of the challenges they face, we can help eradicate prejudice and discrimination associated with substance use disorders, as well as with co-occurring mental disorders. Prevention and treatment work, and people recover — and we must ensure all those seeking help feel empowered, encouraged, and confident in their ability to take control of their future. Americans looking for help for themselves or their loved ones can call 1-800-662-HELP or use the “Treatment Locator” tool at www.SAMHSA.gov.

My Administration remains dedicated to pursuing evidence-based strategies to address substance use disorders as part of our National Drug Control Strategy. Seeking to widen pathways to recovery, our strategy supports the integration of substance use treatment into primary health care settings and the expansion of support services in places such as high schools, institutions of higher education, and throughout the criminal justice system. In the wake of public health crises related to non-medical use of prescription drugs and heroin in communities across our Nation, my Administration has pledged considerable resources to help Federal, State, and local authorities boost prevention efforts, improve public health and safety, and increase access to treatment in communities across the country. And the Affordable Care Act has extended substance use disorder and mental health benefits and Federal parity protections to millions of Americans.

Behavioral health is essential to overall health, and recovery is a process through which individuals are able to improve their wellness, live increasingly self-directed lives, and strive to fulfill their greatest potential. During National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, we reaffirm our belief that recovery and limitless opportunity are within reach of every single American battling substance use disorders, and we continue our work to achieve this reality.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2015 as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.

Opioid addiction treatment is of the utmost importance as the United States struggles with what can only be described as an epidemic. Recovering from opioid use disorders is quite difficult and the rate of relapse among opioid addicts is high. Fortunately, there are medications available, such as Suboxone ® (buprenorphine), that can assist those recovering from opioid addictions have a better shot at success. On the other hand, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found that of the 2.5 million Americans that medication-assisted treatment (MAT) could help, only 40 percent actually receive it, USA Today reports.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that drug overdoses are cutting the lives short of nearly 44,000 Americans every year (more than car accidents), the need for greater access to medication that recovering addicts could benefit from is great. Opioid addicts who are given MAT cut their risk of death from all causes in half, according to Melinda Campopiano of SAMHSA.

Suboxone ® is normally used in treatment settings for detoxification purposes, easing the discomfort of opioid withdrawal, and in most cases recovering addicts are weaned off of the drug within two weeks of the initial detox. However, many addicts who have history of chronic relapse have used Suboxone ® maintenance programs to reduce the chances of another relapse, and potentially preventing an unforeseen overdose. The drug has two facets, it eases the discomfort of withdrawal and it blocks the effects of opiates – if a patient uses opioids they will not experience the euphoric effects of the drug.

“Some people can taper off of it, but some people need it forever,” said Kelly Clark, President-Elect of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. “We don’t tell people, ‘Let’s decrease your dose of statins and see how you do.’ The goal of treating your cholesterol is not to get you off statins. The goal is to decrease your risk of a heart attack.”

Opioid use disorders affect millions of Americans. If you are struggling with opioids, please do not hesitate to reach out for help. At Synergy Group Services we offer individualized treatment plans for the treatment of alcoholism.